Prototyping apparatuses are commonly used for validating electronic circuits. A prototyping apparatus makes it possible to create a physical implementation of the electronic circuit under validation (a prototype). The prototype is tested in order to determine whether the electronic circuit exhibits the desired features; for example, this is an essential step of the design process of any complex electronic circuit, such as a digital ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).
Typically, the prototype is created spreading the electronic circuit across several FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) which are connected together in a predetermined way.
Normally, the prototyping of the electronic circuit requires timing or clock signals with prescribed frequencies to be supplied to the FPGAs. A clock signal generation and distribution system is thus provided in the prototyping apparatus for generating and distributing the clock signals to the FPGAs across which the electronic circuit under validation is spread.
In some known prototyping apparatuses the clock signals can be generated locally in the clock signal generation and distribution system, by means of local oscillators. The locally-generated clock signals are then distributed through the prototyping apparatus to the FPGAs implementing the electronic circuit under validation.
In other known prototyping apparatuses the clock signals are instead generated externally of the prototyping apparatus, typically by a clock generator apparatus, and are fed to the clock signal generation and distribution system for the distribution to the FPGAs.
The Applicant notices that both of the above solutions have a common drawback. It may in fact happen that in an electronic circuit to be validated some clock signals are self-generated by the electronic circuit itself. In the known prototyping apparatuses these self-generated clock signals must be emulated by the internally- or externally-generated clock signals. This makes the prototyping apparatuses scarcely adherent to the real-world operation of the electronic circuit under validation, and the test results are therefore not completely reliable.
It has therefore been an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned drawback.